Chess Notation

Move notations for humans
Correspondence chess card showing algebraic notation and ICCF notationIn recognized competitions all players are required to record all the moves of both players in order to: resolve disputes about what the position should now be, whether a player has made an illegal move, etc.; keep an accurate count of the moves if, as in most serious competition, there is a time limit rule which requires each player to complete a specified number of moves in a specified time.[1]  All chess coaches strongly recommend the recording of one's games so that one can look for improvements in one's play.[2]  The algebraic and descriptive notations are also used in books about chess.
 * Algebraic chess notation is more compact than descriptive chess notation, and is the most widely used method for recording the moves of a game of chess. It has been in use in some regions since the early 19th century, and is less prone to error than the English descriptive system. Algebraic notation is the official notation of FIDE which must be used in all recognized international competition involving human players.[3]  TheU.S. Chess Federation prefers the use of algebraic notation but still permits descriptive notation.[4] [5]
 * Standard algebraic notation (SAN) is the notation standardized by FIDE.[citation needed]  It omits the starting file and rank of the piece, unless it is necessary to disambiguate the move.
 * Figurine algebraic notation (FAN) is a widely used variation of standard algebraic notation which replaces the letter that stands for a piece by its symbol, e.g., ♞c6 instead of Nc6 or ♖xg4 instead of Rxg4. Pawns are omitted as in standard algebraic notation. This enables the moves to be read independent of language. To display or print these symbols, one has to have one or more fonts with good Unicode support installed on the computer, and the document (web page, word processor document, etc.) must use one of these fonts.[6]  For more information see Chess symbols in Unicode.
 * Long algebraic notation (LAN) includes the starting file and rank of the piece, followed by a dash.
 * Minimal algebraic notation (MAN) is similar to SAN but omits the indicators for capture ("x") and check ("+"). It was used by Chess Informant.
 * Reversible algebraic notation (RAN) is based on LAN, but adds an additional letter for the piece that was captured, if any. The move can be reversed by moving the piece to its original square, and restoring the captured piece. For example, Rd2xBd6.
 * Concise reversible algebraic notation (CRAN) is like RAN, but omits the file or rank if it is not needed to disambiguate the move. For example, Rd2:B6. This notation is recommended inPlay Stronger Chess by Examining Chess 960: Usable Strategies for Fischer Random Chess Discovered.
 * Figurine concise reversible algebraic notation (FCRAN) is a form of CRAN with non-Staunton figurines, used by Gene Milener during Chess960 tournaments.

Here is an example of the same moves in some of the notations which may be used by humans:[9]
 * Descriptive chess notation, English notation or English descriptive notation. Until the 1970s, at least in English-speaking countries, chess games were recorded and published using this notation. This is still used by a dwindling number of mainly older players, and by those who read old books (some of which are still important[7] ).
 * ICCF numeric notation. In international correspondence chess the use of algebraic notation may cause confusion, since different languages have different names for the pieces. The standard for transmitting moves in this form of chess is ICCF numeric notation.[8]
 * Smith notation is a straightforward chess notation designed to be reversible and represent any move without ambiguity. The notation encodes the from square, to square, and what piece was captured, if any.
 * Coordinate notation is similar to algebraic notation except that no abbreviation or symbol is used to show which piece is moving. It can do this almost without ambiguity because it always includes the square from which the piece moves as well as its destination, but promotions must be disambiguated by including the promoted piece type, such as in parentheses. It has proved hard for humans to write and read, but is used internally by some chess-related computer software.[9]